"All is Well" Cover

All is Well is a song by Ron Miles that will be used in the documentary short we're currently working on. We have the original recording by Ron himself but now we also might have the possibility of using this cover by Todd Burge.

Jonathan Overby at Madison Civics Club

Dr. Jonathan Overby is a distinguished broadcaster and Executive Producer and host of the Wisconsin Public Radio program Higher Ground. Earlier today, he spoke and sang at the December meeting of the Madison Civics Club. He also played a few world percussion instruments.

Along with videographer Luciano Matheron and producer Karen Huismann, Robert was part of the production team that shot the event at the Monona Terrace. It will air at a future date on WYOU Television in Madison.

Disney-Sponsored Video Project in Post-Production

The edit continues on the Disney-funded project for the National Science Teachers Association. The planning stage started back in March for this gig. The goal was to create four educational videos on the Next Generation Science Standards. The bulk of the shoot occurred in the classroom in May. Then over the next several months, scripts were revised, more b-roll was filmed and/or located, narration was added and recorded, and test edits put together.

Voice actor Colin Cameron was brought in to do the narration. Voice-over test clip...

We now have two of the four videos completed and the final pair are underway in the editing stage. The end is near.

Film Wisconsin Workshop in Milwaukee

Attending the Film Wisconsin/Madison Media Institute Boot Camp this weekend in Milwaukee--a two-day training and informational seminar whose goal is to help develop a qualified film and video workforce in the state of Wisconsin. Pictured is Jim Logan of Logan Productions with his crane and Red Dragon.

Additional image via MMI facebook page.

"Don" Test Screening Held Tonight at WSF

We had a small test screening tonight for Don Circles the Drain. It was held in Madison at the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Screenwriter's Forum. In attendance representing the film were Rick, Robert, and Colin.

Photos by Colin Cameron.

Mad City Chickens DVD - Price Reduced!

It's been over seven years since the premiere of our documentary, Mad City Chickens. And for the first time, we have slashed the price of the DVD. Originally $21.95, it's now just $7.00 (+ shipping).

Own the movie that helped fuel the urban backyard chicken movement across the US and Canada! Includes 60 minutes of extras. Visit our SHOP page to order your copy.

We'll throw in a FREE pin-back button with every DVD purchase (while supplies last).

Filmed Episode of "Kitchen Krewe" TV Show

A few days ago, we were part of a team that filmed an episode of The Kitchen Krewe, a cooking show geared towards kids. Sponsored by a grant form Willy Street Co-op, the show will begin airing on Madison's WYOU TV in October.

"Don Circles the Drain" now on IMDb

Our film, Don Circles the Drain, is finally listed on IMDb. If you were part of the cast or crew, you now have another credit to your name.

"Don" Press Kit / Movie Poster Now Online

The online press kit and movie poster for Don Circles the Drain are now online at: http://presskit-doncirclesdrain.blogspot.com/

The movie poster is also downloadable as a hi-rez image.

Trailer for "Don Circles the Drain"

Building a "Don Circles the Drain" Press Kit

We're putting together a festival press kit for Don Circles the Drain with a few promotional stills, a trailer, and production notes. Here's a nice shot of the two stars--Odari Kimani and Marie Mack.

Synopsis: Fired from his job in radio, Don turns to access TV to jump-start his career. Little does he know what awaits him. Run time: 9:18



UPDATE:
Our press kit page is now online.

New Editing Bay Getting Close to Ready!

Seven and a half months ago, following the fire in our complex, we took a lease on a new place. It was available to us because the previous tenant vacated early. Looking forward to a long-term situation, we were ready to get settled and pump up our production of films and commercial projects. The first thing on the agenda was to finish Don Circles the Drain, which we did. Things were going well. Unfortunately, the lease renewal came due this past August 1st and to our surprise, the landlord decided to rent to family members instead.

So for the second time in less than a year, we were forced to pack up everything and find a new location to call home. It's not easy sometimes, but it helps to remember the adage--"everything happens for a reason"--even when it really pisses you off.

We're now in our new location, and we like it better than anything we've ever had before! Might put some sound dampening on the walls and add a few tweaks here and there, but the editing bay is close to being ready. Got other films to finish and jobs to complete.

Test Screening of "Don" at High Noon Saloon

The first test screening of Don Circles the Drain for the general public took place yesterday at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. Part of a Wisconsin filmmaker showcase sponsored by Living Storm Productions, our short was one of thirteen local movies to play. We're told it was a great turn out of between 60 to 80 in the audience.

Unfortunately, we couldn't attend. Executive Director Rick Richards was out of town and Robert was stuck having to move to a new home that weekend. Assistant Director, Nicholas Wootton did go and reported that the film was well received and got lots of laughs.

"Don Circles the Drain" - Cast & Crew Screening

We had our cast and crew wrap party last night for Don Circles the Drain. It was good to to finally show the finished film and to revisit with everyone--many of whom we hadn't seen for almost two years.

Although the projector had some issues, people still seemed to enjoy the picture. We really value test screenings, even those which may be a little skewed due to an audience of only cast and crew. After hearing their feedback, we went back and made a few minor adjustments to the edit, plus one rather large one. The movie now flows even better. Total running time 9:19.

Photos courtesy of Colin Cameron.

Up next, our first test screening of Don for the general public is this Sunday, August 2nd at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. A Wisconsin filmmaker showcase sponsored by Living Storm Productions, the program runs from 12:30-3:30pm. $5 cover.

It's Done! "Don Circles the Drain" is Now a Finished Film!

Two years in the making, Don Circles the Drain is now complete! Polished off the final cut today. This collaborative project between C Side Films and Tarazod Films went through several changes before becoming the movie it is now.

The original plan was for us to simply create a short trailer for Executive Producer Rick Richards, to assist him in selling his feature-length script. However as things progressed, we couldn't resist the temptation to turn this project into a stand-alone film. The short has a total running time of 9:26.

Our first test screening takes place this Wednesday, August 29th. It's a showing for cast and crew at the long-delayed wrap party.

We then will have a second test screening at the local filmmaker showcase being hosted by Living Storm Productions. Sunday August 2nd, 12:30-3:00pm, High Noon Saloon in Madison. Open to the public; $5 cover.

Then it's time for festival submissions.

Audio down to one last scene for "Don Circles the Drain"

Executive Producer Rick Richards stopped by today to view the latest edit of Don Circles the Drain, which is so very, very close to being completed. The audio for the entire film is now done except for one last sequence--the Crowd Scene--in which our star Don (played by Odari Kimani) is unexpectedly greeted by his adoring fans. We recorded lots of yelling, screaming, and miscellaneous outpourings from the cast and slew of extras who showed up that day on August 24, 2013--nearly 2 years ago!

The audio log list for the Crowd Scene.

Final Voice-Overs Completed for "Don Circles the Drain"

Yesterday we brought in actors Colin Cameron and Tim Towne to do the last of the voice-over recordings for Don Circles the Drain. Colin is the narrator in the film and Tim the "Captain Know-It-All" control room operator for Don's cable access TV show.

JG Accepted Into Boston Independent Film Fest

Just God--the collaborative film project that we worked on with Windmiller Media and Exchange Productions--was recently accepted as a finalist into the Boston Independent Film Festival. Screenings begin July 15, 2015.

Another Year, Another Adobe CC Update

So far, CC 2015 seems pretty good. New things to get used to in Premiere. There does appear to be some issue, however, with the program's need for an excessive amount of CPU usage. We hope this gets fixed in a hurry.

JULY 17th UPDATE:

Definitely some bugs with the new 2015 release. Premiere is having some serious problems with audio files cutting out and sound waveforms disappearing. We're switching our current projects back to CC2014 until Adobe gets these fixed.


AUGUST 1st UPDATE:

They got the audio issues worked out well enough (although, not perfectly). Can finally finish projects in CC2015. 

Vegan Fest edit at 3:06 AM

3:06 AM. Finishing up video number four of six from the 2015 Mad City Vegan Fest. Render, compression, and upload times are real hour-eaters. But getting close to finishing this gig.

Presenter Dama Wells-Foster during her cooking demonstration. Dessert was raw avocado-chocolate pudding. Good stuff!

Registered Dietitian Jack Norris on vegan nutrition.

"Don Circles the Drain" Update

Our joint film project with C-Side Films is nearing completion. Over the last couple months, we've worked intensely on the edit. Currently, it's  down to tweaking the dialog tracks and sound effects. Still need to bring in actors Tim Towne and Colin Cameron, each for a brief voice-over session for a few lines we've added. Then all that's left to do is color correction.

Mad City Vegan Fest 2015

Tarazod was hired to film and edit the 2015 Mad City Vegan Fest which occurred today in Madison. It's always a challenge shooting at the Goodman Community Center--a dark room with a lot of echo--but it went well. The edit will include six different presenters, two camera angles, and a separate audio track. Hope to have it completed quickly and up on the client's youtube channel within a day or two.

World Naked Bike Ride in Madison

Filmed the World Naked Bike Ride in Madison today. Fellow filmmaker, Nicholas Wootton (of Windmiller Media), is one of the event's organizers. He carried a GoPro along on his ride. Robert shot with a 2nd camera from various points along the route.

Madison School Video Project

Tarazod was hired back in March of this year to produce and edit a series of short educational videos for the National Science Teachers Association. The project was to be funded through a grant from the Disney Company, and it would be shot inside a Madison Metropolitan School District classroom. After months of paperwork and preparation, the 5-day shoot finally took place last week with a group of second graders.

Robert ran one camera, Erik Witt was on second, plus we had two more for wide shots.

We still have some talking-head to get with the teachers, and the edit will take some while to finish, but at least the bulk of production is now complete.

"Just God" Film on DVD

Just God--the collaboration with Windmiller Media and Exchange Productions--has finally reached fruition with the movie being issued on DVD. There were a few versions of the film to choose from, one shorter and tighter, another longer, and even a Director's Cut. Robert never really felt the film was quite done, too many places on the time line that could have been condensed or eliminated, plus the soundtrack and other areas also needed more finishing work. But a film is never done, right? In the end, the decision of which version to release belonged to the director and executive producer, Nicholas Wootton. Thus, it's the Director's Cut that you'll see on the disc. He also included over an hour of extras and interesting behind-the-scenes bonus features.

Mad City Chickens heading back to Wheatsfield Co-op

Our Mad City Chickens documentary played last year at the Wheatsfield Food Cooperative in Ames, Iowa, and on April 20th, it will screen again! Film starts at 7:00 pm,  413 Northwestern Ave.

Final Madison Civics Club Shoot

Earlier today, we completed the last in a series of four Madison Civics Club video shoots at the Monona Terrace. The main speaker was Jim Leach, 30-year US Congressman and former National Endowment for the Humanities Chair.

The previous programs in the series included international mediator Joan Goldsmith, gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee and author Peter Palmer. All of the videos are scheduled to air on WYOU - Madison's Community Television.

"Chickens" Screening in Irving, Texas

On April 11, 2015, our feature-length documentary, Mad City Chickens, will be screening at the annual Eco-Film Fest in Irving, TX. Sponsored by the Office of Environmental Stewardship, the film will play at the West Irving Library, 4444 W. Rochelle Road. Starts at 4:00 p.m. Free chicken buttons will be available.

Mad City Chickens Returns to Sturgeon Bay

Last year, our Mad City Chickens documentary screened in Sturgeon Bay, WI as part of their EGGStravaganza event. It's been asked back again and will play this coming Saturday, April 4th at 1:00pm. Free admission. Sponsored by the Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan Street.

High Noon Saloon Pickup Shot for "Circles the Drain" film

It was in September 2013 that we shot the bar scene for our Don Circles the Drain project. Unfortunately, we found in the edit that we needed to add a bystander who overhears the conversation of our main characters and then texts her friends about it. Yesterday, we finally got this shot.

Associate Producer/Script Supervisor Kelly Lajter set up the pickup shoot for us at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. She also helped us out by playing the person who does the texting.

Executive Producer Rick Richards was there and reprised his background role as the bartender; Associate Producer Colin Camera again played the patron having a drink at the bar.

Behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of Colin Cameron.

Nearing the end of Pickup Shots for "Don Circles the Drain"

Don Circles the Drain--Surviving Access TV in 10 Easy Steps (aka The Weather Report) is nearing completion! In an effort to get this film done, we've ramped up our normal editing schedule, having worked every single day in March just on this one project. It's paying off. The fat has been trimmed, and we're well into the finishing work. 

Now with a clear vision of the final story, we've had to go out to shoot several quick pickup shots to complete it. A downtown building, hands pulling on a cable, water circling a bathtub drain, a neon "BAR" sign. A few more of these video clips and we'll have everything we need.

Madison Civics Club Video Shoot with Joan Goldsmith

On Saturday, Robert joined Luciano Matheron of Brazen Video Productions at the Monona Terrace to shoot another in a series of Madison Civics Club events. The main speaker was international mediator, coach and educator, Joan Goldsmith.

The video will appear on Madison's Community Television in April. Earlier event speakers have included Jackie Joyner-Kersee and author Peter Palmer.

"Just God" Screens in Green Bay

Just God screened at the Green Bay Film Festival on Saturday. Good people. Fun times.

A few of the Just God crew (L-R): Writer/Director Nicholas Wootton; Executive Producer Jill Wootton; Associate Producer Kelly Lajter; Pick-up shots photographer Jeff Blankenship; Production Manager Robert Lughai.

Photo by Colin Cameron.